Time-lapse video shows Earth from orbit

If you've ever soared above the Earth at more than 17,000 mph, watching cities and thunderstorms twinkle while the planet scrolls by like a moving sidewalk of the gods, then you may find the video below boring.

If not, do yourself a favor and watch this: (ideally in hi-res/full-screen mode)

Opening at night above the northern Pacific Ocean, the video follows the ISS as it zooms past North and South America, and closes with a dramatic flourish as it approaches Antarctica while morning sunlight floods over the horizon. Its flyby also includes several manmade and natural landmarks, which Drake lists on YouTube:

As Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy notes, "The actual motion of the International Space Station would appear much slower than this" — it's a time-lapse video, after all — "but still." The amount of humbling and inspiring perspective this video crams into one minute is more than many people experience in a lifetime.

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